The freestanding tub occupies a niche backed by a wall of etched…
Achieving simplicity and clarity in a custom home demands vision from its architect, discipline from its owners, and skill from its builder. And it takes all of these in greater measure than do seemingly more complex projects. The challenge in this Seattle home was greater still, because the owners are not ascetic empty nesters but an active couple with young children, a dog, and a passion for cooking, each of which entails a certain amount of paraphernalia. According to architect Jill Lewis, though, they were aiming for a house that could be both minimalist and livable. At their first meeting, Lewis says, “It became clear that these clients were interested in a house that had a big idea. They didn’t want this static, boring, completely symmetrical house. They wanted some kind of a hook.” Lewis and builder Joe McKinstry delivered a house that begins with a bold concept, supports it with sculptural interior elements and a palette of materials that remains consistent throughout, and manages to find a place for everything.
“The corner location lent itself to doing some kind of dynamic form,” says Lewis, who used a poured concrete garage and retaining wall at the street level to support a terrace one story above sidewalk elevation. From that point, she says, “Whatever gesture we made would really play well. It was already up on this little Acropolis.” The gesture, which survived its translation to an actual house remarkably intact, assembles three distinct elements: a first-floor glass box for the living/dining/kitchen great room, a cement board-clad second-floor box for bedrooms, and a stuccoed single-story box, pulled off to one side, for a guest suite. The L-shaped first-floor plan creates a semi-enclosed courtyard, while the rotation of the glass box in relation to the terrace opens a triangle of deck at the southwest corner, overlooking Lake Washington.
The owners are two physicians with busy work schedules, and the interior layout reflects their preference for simplicity. Leaving aside the guest suite, which functions as something of a semi-detached cottage, the first floor constitutes an 850-square-foot live-in kitchen. Forgoing windows in the central cooking zone “gave us the flexibility to organize things in a very orderly way,” Lewis says. Major appliances back up to the west wall, along with base cabinets of dark-stained oak and uppers of painted MDF. “We used a paint that had a little sheen to it,” Lewis says, “so it would be kind of reflective and easier to clean.” A bank of glass-front cabinets shows off the owners’ collection of colorful dishes and cups. A hidden appliance station rolls out from the peninsula, allowing the espresso machine, coffee maker, and mixer to be used without cluttering the counters. In an interior this spare, storage is crucial, Lewis says, “so we tried to screw down every last square inch.”
“We also used cabinetry to reinforce the geometry,” she adds. Loaded with roll-out pantry shelves, the wedge of casework that bounds the kitchen on its east side also supports the open-tread stair to the second floor. Its shape, in plan, describes the angle between the first- and second-floor axes, resolving the tension between the two. Like the rest of the kitchen built-ins, Lewis says, “It looks like furniture, which is very important because it’s so visible.” The black-and-blue scheme appears again in the living room, with a room divider that houses a coat closet on one side and an entertainment center on the other. Deep drawers make a quick stash for toys when company comes up the walk, and the whole assembly segues into a stainless steel gas fireplace. “That was by far the most complicated piece of cabinetry in the house,” Lewis says. “It’s a perfect example of [the principle that] it’s harder to make something look simple than to look complicated. That’s where the magic of Joe McKinstry comes in. He’s the only builder I know who can make that kind of thing happen.”
At the second floor, another stainless steel fireplace graces the sitting area of the master bedroom, flanked by cabinets of the same stained oak. The master bath adds black and white porcelain tiles and stark white plumbing fixtures to the mix, but its clear delineation of elements reflects the larger theme of the house. The freestanding tub occupies a niche backed by an exterior wall of etched glass. The sink base, lavatories, and even the light fixtures that hang above them are all distinct rectilinear forms. Immediately outside the bath, and clearly visible from the second-floor hall, the guest suite presents another simple geometric form: the floating rectangle of its sod roof. Growing grass on the roof is good green practice, Lewis acknowledges, “But to be honest, we wanted to have something pretty to look at from up there.”
From the very visible perch of its elevated corner lot, the house treats its neighbors equally well.
Project Credits
Builder: Joseph McKinstry Construction, Seattle; Architect: COOP 15, Seattle; Living space: 3,600 square feet; Site: .18 acre; Construction cost: $300 a square foot; Photographer: Lara Swimmer.
Resources
Automatic window coverings: Lutron and Silent Gliss; Bathroom fittings/fixtures: Dornbracht, Duravit, Grohe, Hansgrohe, Kingston Brass, Kohler, Lefroy Brooks, Porcher, and Toto; Bathroom tile: United Tile; Cabinets: Mark Mayer; Dishwasher/oven/range/refrigerator: Viking; Exterior doors: Fleetwood; Garbage disposer: In-Sink-Erator; Kitchen fittings/fixtures: Blanco and KWC; Laminate countertop: Abet Laminati; Washer/dryer: Whirlpool; Windows: Marlin Windows.
